The weather is getting cold, which means the summer beers are long gone, the Oktoberfest's are slowly disappearing, and the winter brews are taking over the shelf space. This week's beer is a celebration of the impending cold weather, and it comes from the well-known Magic Hat Brewing Company, located in South Burlington, Vermont. Now, sit back and enjoy...the MAGIC (if we had flash capabilities on this blog I assure you this is where the a white-gloved hand would dive into a top hat, pull out a pigeon, release it, and then go right into Jazz hands before fading off screen and revealing this week's beer—stupid budget).
 
WEEK 26

Howl (Black Lager)
4.6% ABV


When poured into a pint glass (Oh, oh, oh, it's magic) this beer looks like a Guinness impersonator, right down to the creamy, tan head. I was actually surprised at how dark this brew truly was. If a Guinness and a Howl were put in a police lineup (probably busted for indecent exposure), I'd have a hard time deciphering between the two. However, within a minute of the pour the head on the Howl dissipated almost entirely into the blackness. This brew has a rich, very malty aroma, with a minor hint of smokiness. The first taste matches the aroma identically, but with an added bite from the carbonation and a slight chocolaty finish. It's not sweet like milk chocolate; it more closely resembles cacao or even baker's chocolate. In my opinion, this beer would compliment a hearty, medium-rare steak, or it'd be the perfect replacement for after-dinner coffee with dessert. How do I know this, you ask? Because I enjoyed this brew with a little pumpkin pie and it was flippin' amazing.

Word to the wise, if you don't enjoy a robust, flavorful beer, you won't enjoy this bad boy. If you're a "light beer" drinker, this will be like drinking motor oil to you, because it is anything but light. This isn't a beer you drink all night long; it's one that is a celebration in flavor, perfect for dinner out with some solid conversation to accompany it. Finally, you know a beer is a true winter brew when you can't imagine slugging one down any other time but when it's freezing outside. Otherwise, I feel like it'd kind of be like this. Cheers!